Nowak murder: force accused of ‘anti-white bias’ five times more likely to stop black people

The murder of Henry Nowak has sparked violent disorder in Southampton. Photograph: Ollie Thompson/Solent News & Photo Agency/Solent News View image in fullscreen The murder of Henry Nowak has sparked violent disorder in Southampton. Photograph: Ollie Thompson/Solent News & Photo Agency/Solent News Nowak murder: force accused of ‘anti-white bias’ five times more likely to stop black people The Hampshire force whose officers responded to the murder of Henry Nowak have a higher than average racial disparity The police force accused of anti-white racism following the murder of Henry Nowak is over five times more likely to subject black people to a stop and search than white people, according to the latest figures . The racial disparity in the Hampshire force is higher than the average for England and Wales, and has gotten worse in recent years. Hampshire police have been subjected to claims of anti-white bias following the murder of Nowak last December in Southampton by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely told officers he had been racially abused. Police chief warns anti-white bias claims could drive UK policing ‘back to 60s’ Read more Digwa had stabbed the 18-year-old repeatedly, but officers arriving at the scene treated the student slumped on the ground as a suspect. He was handcuffed and arrested, despite telling officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe. For the last year data was available, Hampshire’s officers were 5.1 times more likely to stop and search someone black than a white person. The average disproportionality rate in England and Wales was 3.8 times. Stop and search is a controversial power, with most resulting in no detection of criminality. The fact officers are more likely to use the power against a black person has led to claims of racial bias . Black people up to 48 times more likely to be stopped and searched in richest areas of London Read more In 2025/26 officers in the southern England force carried out 15,000 stops, with 60% leading to no further action or advice. The force claimed 6,000 of its stops led to a “positive outcome”, but did not define what that meant. The racial disparity has increased in Hampshire, with the preceding two years seeing black people 4.8 times more likely to be stopped than a white person in 2024/5, up from 4.1 times in 2023/4. The force has also increased it use of stop and search, up from 12,000 two years earlier. In 2021/22, black people in Hampshire were almost eight times more likely to be stopped than white people. Police nationally insist stop and search is a vital crimefighting tool, but have pledged to reduce the racial disparity. Hampshire police declined to comment. The force is also 96.4% white , compared to 90.6% of the population of the area it serves. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has compared police failings in the Nowak case to those in the 1993 stabbing of Stephen Lawrence by a racist gang whom remained free because of police errors and institutional racism. The sole su